The Waiting Place
by L's Hope
Summary: Luce doesn't seem so bad, and Dean's got time to kill. Lucifer/Dean, High school AU
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, these are just going to be short little snap shots of Dean and Lucifer's friendship, and will eventually become Lucifer/Dean. I'm hoping to update pretty frequency, considering this is more of a low pressure writing exercise then an epic, super planned out story. The title is taken from a concept explored in Dr. Seuss's novella "Oh the Places You'll Go!" I've decided to just go with memorable titles that amuse me rather than agonizing over finding one that's just the_ perfect fit!_

Please read and enjoy!

* * *

Sammy wasn't out yet.

Dean was waiting in the school parking lot, lounging against the Impala like he had every right to be there, ignoring the weird looks he was getting. Middle school had ended almost an hour ago, but his little brother was taking his sweet time getting out. Leave it to Sammy to try and draw out _school_ as long as possible. Dean shifted and scowled, antsy to hit the road, to get somewhere not so boring and oppressive. He, at least, didn't want to stick around school any longer than he had to. Never mind that the school wasn't actually his own.

What was _taking_ Sam?

"Problems, Winchester?" Dean very nearly dropped his keys.

He turned to see a blond dude leaning on the hood of his baby. "Whoa dude," Dean snarled, "hands off the car."

The guy straightened and put his hands up, a disarming smile dancing across his face. Dean would've apologized for snapping, if the guy hadn't looked so goddamn _smug_.

"Easy, there. I just came to tell you that your brother's staying late today."

Dean squinted at the guy. The name alluded him, but he was pretty sure Blondie was a senior at his school. "And how do you know that?" Dean's voice held a tad more suspicion than was truly warranted.

"He's in the debate club with one of my cousins." The guy shrugged. "They won't be done 'til around five. I saw you standing out here, and figured Sam forgot to tell you or something."

"Oh." Dean deflated, feeling like an ass. Here someone was trying to help him out, and he bites the dude's head off. Not cool. Even if the guy did seem unnaturally smug. Maybe his face was just stuck that way?

"Well, thanks. I guess." The guy hummed, and turned to leave. Dean made a snap decision. "You need a lift anywhere?"

Blondie looked back at him, surprise overriding his default smugness. Dean decided he liked that. The guy got over it, flashed some teeth his way, and said "There's a new diner in town I've been wanting to try. Would you be willing to kill some time with me?"

It's nowhere near dinnertime, but Dean's got nothing to do, he's sick to the teeth of waiting on Sammy, and their apartment's cold and empty. Plus, Dean's been told he's got a bottomless pit for a stomach, so…

"Why the hell not?"


	2. Chapter 2

They'd nearly reached the diner when Dean realized he still didn't know the guy's name. Not one to beat around the bush, he asked him.

The guy looked morose, or maybe just shifty, in the moment before he replied "Luce Arch."

"Oh!" Dean blinked, surprised to recognize the name. Or part of it, at least. Luce's eyebrows pulled down, in a way surprisingly similar to Sammy's when he was gearing up for a sulk. "Are you related to Gabriel?"

For the second time since they'd met, Luce looked blindsided. Dean suppressed a snicker. "Uh, yeah. He's my little brother."

"Cool. He's my chemistry partner. This the place?" Dean motioned to the shiny new restaurant on the left. At Luce's nod, he pulled in, careful to take up two spaces. It might make him an asshole, but it sure as hell was better than being responsible for the beating he'd lay down on anyone who scratched his car. He'd've roped off the area around the Impala if he could get away with it.

Dean had just turned off the engine when he looked up to find Luce staring at him. "What?"

"You've never heard my name from anywhere else?" Luce raised an eyebrow at him, arrogant and incredulous all in one.

"I don't do gossip." Dean raised an eyebrow right back at him. They sat there for a minute, before Luce huffed and broke eye contact, a smile fighting its way onto his face.

"It figures, I guess. It's nice to meet you, Dean Winchester." He held out his hand. Dean shook it, bemused but not really put off. So his passenger was a weirdo. What else was new? "Nice to meet you too, Luce."


	3. Chapter 3

Five o'clock caught Dean off guard when it came around. More accurately, his phone caught him off guard, with Sammy's angry voice on the other end of the line.

"I gotta go," Dean grumbled, and was surprised how much regret he felt saying that. He and Luce had eaten and then just kind of kicked around town after that. Nothing particularly memorable, excluding the company. "Do you need a ride home?"

Luce shrugged. "I'll manage."

Dean hesitated. "You sure?"

Luce raised an eyebrow sardonically. "I _do_ live around here, you know." Asshole.

"Well…" Dean reached over and dug into the Impala's glove compartment. With an air of triumph, he pulled out a marker. Luce blinked dumbly as Dean grabbed his hand and started to write on it.

"What do you think you're doing?" Under other circumstances, it might have sounded intimidating; but at the moment, Luce sounded so perplexed that Dean laughed at him.

"Here." He relinquished Luce's hand, and the guy looked at it like he wasn't sure if he still wanted it or not. "This is my cell number. When you get home, send me a text or something. So I know you made it okay."

Luce stared at him. "You know you could've just typed it into my contacts list, right?" His voice sounded annoyed, but he looked oddly touched.

Dean snorted. "This way will let me call BS if you say you 'forgot' to text me."

Now he looked annoyed. "Dean-"

"Well, better get Sammy before he blows a gasket," Dean said cheerfully, practically pushing Luce out of the Impala. "Call me later, because if you don't I'll hunt your ass down. See you at school Monday!"

As he sped off, he could see Luce in the rearview mirror, still staring at his hand. Jesus, you'd think the guy had never gotten a number before.

Dean felt… weird as he drove away. He felt… light. Happy. Happier than he'd been in a long time. Happier than he'd felt since Sam started going through his rebellious phase. Happier than he'd felt since Dad stopped coming home from work.

He was still puzzling over this when he pulled up in front of the middle school. Sam climbed into the Impala, all in a huff. "What _took_ you so long? I was there for like, twenty minutes after all the other kids left!"

_I was there for an hour!_ But Dean bit back the reply on the tip of his tongue, not wanting to go into it with Sam right then. Instead he said "Sorry, little bro. I had a hot date with a math textbook and just couldn't pull myself away."

Sam's lips twitched. "You never read your textbooks. Not on Fridays, at least."

Dean shrugged and gave a guileless smile. "Whoops. I guess you caught me."

"Just take us home," Sam huffed, though he sounded more amused than annoyed. Dean counted it as a win.

* * *

A/N: Spellcheck tells me "Sam's" is not a word. I beg to differ.


	4. Chapter 4

Monday dawned bright and boring. First period nearly put Dean to sleep, and he wondered for the millionth time why he didn't just skip class. Sure, his father would be mad, but what else was new? Winter was creeping into the air, so school officials decided that it would a good time to turn on the heat. Of course, this meant all the classrooms were far too warm, with everyone sweating in their jeans and jackets. The smell alone was enough to make Dean want to just hold his breath until he passed out. No one else seemed to care though. Everyone was super chatty because of some game that'd apparently happened on Friday, where some dude had beaten up one of the coaches. Dean had heard the story about a million different ways by fourth period, and he'd never even bothered to ask about it. By lunchtime, he was about ready to jump out a window just for some freakin' air.

There were rules against leaving the building before school was over, but Dean figured it didn't matter as long as he came back in for class. He slid out one of the side doors and heaved a sigh. Mondays had to be the work of the Devil himself. At least he'd finally gotten away from the crowds of people though.

As soon as he'd thought that, he caught a glimpse of yellow out of the corner of his eye. He turned, only to see Luce leaning against the wall, just out of sight of the doorway. "Hey!"

Luce looked just as startled as Dean felt to see him there, but he covered it up with a frown and a squinty-eyed look in his direction. "Winchester. What are you doing out here?"

Dean shrugged. "Just getting some air. What about you?"

"Same." Somehow, Dean didn't believe him. It seemed like whenever Luce wasn't looking smug he was looking shady. Like a teacher and a drug dealer all wrapped up into one…

Suddenly, the door behind them banged open. Some guys, older than Dean by the looks of it, barged their way out of the school with all the stealth of a marching band, talking and laughing at their own jokes. Most of them went straight out into the parking lot, but a few headed for Luce and Dean instead.

"Hey Lucy!" One of them called out derisively. "What are you doing back here? Harassing some poor little underclassman?"

Dean bristled, because how exactly did he look like a victim in this situation? But Luce just sneered, and said in the most aloof voice Dean could imagine "No, I leave that kind of thing to _you_."

The first guy's eyes narrowed. One of the others clutched at his heart exaggeratedly. "That hurts, Arch. What kind of men do you take us for? We only beat up people our own size."

"People our own size who're askin' for it," a third one chimed in. "People like _your brother_."

Luce snarled, and looked so much like he was about to tear into the guy that Dean held him back. Dean was all for taking assholes down a peg or two, but this didn't seem like a fight Luce could win. And if Luce started throwing punches, then Dean had an obligation as a friend (friendly acquaintance, _whatever_) to help him keep from getting smeared across the pavement. And if there was one thing that would get his dad to blow a gasket on him, it was fighting in school.

So Dean did his level best to calm Luce down, despite being pretty ticked with these guys himself. "Whoa, Luce, hey. They're just trying to rile you up. Don't let them mess with you."

"Luce?" The first guy sounded startled, then he started to laugh. Soon the others had joined in. "You finally got that stupid nickname to catch on?!"

Dean raised a brow, because while the name Luce did sound kind of stupid, he didn't think it really warranted this much laughter. He wondered if the dudes just suffered from random fits of hilarity. But he didn't wonder for long, because really, he was getting sick of these guys' shit and lunch was supposed to be the time when he got away from the asininity that plagued school. So he grabbed Luce's arm and pulled him towards the other side of the building. The dudes let them go, still wrapped up in their stupid in-joke, and Luce wasn't quite angry enough to resist. When they reached the Impala, he'd calmed down enough to be back to his normal, condescending self. "And what do you think you're doing?"

Dean grinned at him. "I thought we could go somewhere else for lunch. Maybe that Sonic down the road?"

Luce snorted, but got in the car. Dean decided he could afford to be a little late for his next class.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: So much for quick updates. Sorry guys, this chapter probably wasn't worth the wait. :/

* * *

"Dean, I got a call from the school today."

Dean very carefully didn't react. They were on the couch, eating TV dinners with little plastic utensils. The water had been turned off in their apartment, something to do with a busted boiler, and Dad wasn't one to let unwashed dishes lie around, so they were sticking to the disposable stuff. He finished chewing his mystery meat, took a sip from his water bottle, and said as nonchalantly as possible "Oh yeah? What'd they say?" Because in theory, it could be about anything. Hell, they could've called to say Dean had won an award for being the coolest kid in school. In theory.

His father glared at him from the beat up lawn chair across the room. "They said you skipped half your classes today."

Dean winced, even though that'd been pretty much what he was expecting. Sam mouthed, "busted" at him, an obnoxious smirk on his smug little face. Dean flipped him off.

"Dean!" And now Dad was pissed. "You can't keep slacking off like this! Do you wanna get held back another year?!"

Dean wanted to shout. He wanted to tell Dad that it was his fault Dean was a year behind, because he was the one who'd fucking moved them in the middle of it. Dean wasn't like Sam; he couldn't instantly get things after missing over a month of school, especially since the curriculum was completely different state to state. But he bit it back. It'd just turn into a shouting match, with Dad getting more defensive and Dean sounding more ungrateful by the second.

Instead, he shook his head, conceding defeat. Dad frowned. "Then you need to start acting like it, boy. I know school ain't a walk in the park, but none of life is. You'll be an adult soon, and you need to deal with what that entails."

Dean nodded, stabbing at his broccoli morosely. It flopped around like a dead fish. It wasn't like he'd meant to miss the rest of the day. He'd just gotten so caught up in Luce, and that weird happy feeling he got around him. He hadn't lost track of time, exactly. It's just he and Luce started pointedly ignoring the clock as the numbers got closer and closer to one. And after that, well. There wasn't really any point in going to class half an hour late, was there?

And the worst part was, he couldn't bring himself to regret it. Even now, with Dad reaming him out and Sam being a smug little prick in the background, all he could focus on was that light feeling Luce gave him. His future was on the line, but he'd gladly trade it for a few more hours of happiness now. Dean chewed his food discontentedly. It was a scary feeling. Heady, but scary all the same.

He waited for Dad to finish his lecture before getting up and dumping his tray. Then he headed for his and Sam's room.

"Where are you going?" Sam furrowed his eyebrows.

"I'm turning in early tonight."

Dad grunted, which Dean took as the okay. Sam was a little more persistent. "Don't you have homework?"

"Didn't get any today." Because he'd skipped all the classes that usually assigned it.

"Well… okay." Sam bit his lip, and Dean suppressed a snort. His brother could be such a fucking worrywart. "But remember I have to be at school early tomorrow for a Mathlete meeting!"

"Yeah yeah, I'll get up in time to take you to your nerd club."


End file.
